He could have fooled Mir (16-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC), or most other fighters, for that matter. Saying someone isn’t a man, as Dos Santos said earlier this month while promoting their headliner at UFC 146, is about as personal as you can get in this business.

There is, of course, a convenient justification for the comment: Mir broke the arm of Dos Santos’ mentor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, this past December. Revenge is on Dos Santos’ mind ahead of their pay-per-view headliner, which takes place Saturday at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. And he went on the offensive.

Mir brushed aside Dos Santos’ comments as the work of a man unsuccessfully trying to sell the fight. But the champ stuck by his words.

“I don’t even know [Mir] personally,” Dos Santos said. “I was saying that when he’s in a bad situation in a fight, he doesn’t have the heart to escape that situation, to recover from that situation. That’s why I said that.

“But the other way, he’s very good when he’s in a good moment in the fight.”

Fans hope for plenty of good moments when Dos Santos and Mir meet this weekend, but many have already put faith in the champ. Dos Santos, who’s won eight straight inside the octagon, is a massive favorite in betting lines.

Mir, whose three-fight winning streak is capped off by the arm-breaking submission of Nogueira, is a long shot unless the fight goes to the mat.

The champ, however, is just happy to fight, particularly against someone not under a cloud of suspicion. When originally scheduled opponent Alistair Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test due to elevated levels of testosterone, Dos Santos openly stated that his opponent would have an unfair advantage in the fight. With Overeem out and Mir in, though, he was a bit relieved.

“I think Frank Mir is a really dangerous opponent because he’s really good on the ground,” Dos Santos said. “He’s got pretty good striking skills, and it’s going to be a good challenge for me. I don’t care who’s going to be my opponent, but I hope they are fighting like me: clean. Because I’m clean, and I hope my opponent is clean, too.”

Dos Santos would probably say that’s not a knock on Overeem, either. Just an opinion.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.